QEP Graduate Student Research Grants
Thanks to the support of the Jane Nelson Institute for Women’s Leadership (JNIWL), the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) makes available grants to support public-facing graduate student research at Texas Woman’s University.
This is a competitive award and only one grant per student will be awarded per academic year. Funds may be used to directly support research activities or tuition for independent research courses, including independent study, thesis, and/or dissertation hours. Funding amounts may vary, with the expectation no award will be greater than $5000.
What is the QEP Graduate Student Research Grant?
The QEP Graduate Student Research Grant is an opportunity to fund graduate student research that publicly engages community members and contributes to community wellbeing.
Grant recipients may apply for up to $5000 grant funding to either:
- share the results of their research (which may include early findings) in a public-facing venue
– OR – - create an artifact that more generally translates their disciplinary knowledge to the public.
Examples include (but are not limited to) public presentations/workshops, web videos, podcast episodes, interviews, social media campaigns, op-ed or long form essays, public policy documents, exhibits, testimonies to legislature, etc.
*Please note, IRB or IACUC approval required research must have an IRB or IACUC application submitted and/or approved prior to this application submission and the submission number MUST be supplied. Prior to use of QEP funds, the project must have IRB or IACUC approval.
Who are the QEP Graduate Student Research Grants for?
Currently enrolled TWU graduate students with ideas for working on a public-facing project are encouraged to apply!
Students are expected to fill out the grant application with guidance from their faculty mentor — a TWU faculty member who has already agreed to serve as their research mentor before applying.
When does the grant program take place?
The QEP Graduate Student Research Grants are awarded in the Fall semester of each year, with grant activities taking place through August of the next year.
Timeline for 2025-2026 Grant Program:
Sept 5, 2025 Informational Webinar
Sept 2-26, 2025 Application Period
Oct 27 - Nov 7, 2025 Orientation & Prep
Nov 1, 2025 - Aug 28, 2026 Grant Activities
Where can I learn more?
Keep an eye on our calendar of events to find out when we’ll host our next informational session on the QEP Grad Student Research Grants program. We host at least one informational session each semester.
Missed our last informational session?
Watch this helpful informational video:
Still have questions?
Feel free to reach out to our QEP Director, Dr. Gretchen Busl, at gbusl@twu.edu or our Public Scholarship Specialist, Dr. Elizabeth Brownlow, at ebrownlow@twu.edu.
Page last updated 1:15 PM, October 15, 2025